The Helen Schleman papers contains papers, clippings, and photographs documenting Helen Shleman’s life, especially in reference to her professional activities as Purdue Dean of Women (1947–1968) and as an activist and advocate for women’s rights.

Helen Schleman had close ties to three other Deans of Women: Dorothy Stratton, Beverley Stone, and Barbara Cook. More photos, correspondence, and other materials relating to Schleman can be found in those collections.

Oral history interview conducted July 16, 1970, located within MSO 2, Purdue Office of Publications Oral History Program collection.

While processing the Dean of Women Office Records papers, the archivist discovered two cubic feet of speech notes, dated from 1944 to 1988, belonging to Helen Schleman. This material has been organized by date into five manuscript boxes and added to Series 3 of the Helen Schleman papers.

Scope and Contents: The Helen Schleman papers (1920–2012; 5 cubic feet) documents the life of Helen B. Schleman from her time as a student at Northwestern University in the 1920s to her death in 1992. Much of the collection documents Schleman’s time at Purdue University as Head of Women’s Residence Halls, Dean of Women, and Dean Emeritus, as well as her military service in the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve (SPARs) during World War II. In addition to Purdue history, the collection contains Shleman’s collection of newspaper clippings pertaining to the women’s liberation struggle of the 1970s. Types of materials include: personal and professional correspondence, school and employment records, speech notes, published material, newspaper clippings, photographs, pamphlets from professional organizations, and documents about Schleman’s charitable work.